Chapter Twenty-Nine: Every Last One of Them Has Rebelled

"What is the point of trying to study now after slacking off for years? Do you really think you can still get into college?"

"Some students shouldn't be so naive!"

For two days in a row, Yan Chang had been making these snide, cynical remarks during Chinese class. To Gu Qing, they sounded grating, and he suddenly stood up.

"Teacher!"

"Hmm? Gu Qing, is something the matter?"

Yan Chang’s tone softened slightly; he still had some patience for students with good grades. However, the gentleness vanished from his face the next second.

"I don't think what you're saying is right. It’s never too late to learn if you have the heart for it."

"As a teacher, and our homeroom teacher at that, you should be encouraging us, not targeting a specific student."

The classroom fell deathly silent in an instant, and even the slightest movements stopped. Was Gu Qing actually speaking up for Jiang Changyuan? Since when did they have such a good relationship?

In truth, that wasn't the case. Gu Qing didn't fully believe that Jiang Changyuan hadn't cheated, but he simply couldn't stand the sight of Yan Chang’s endless harassment.

"Gu Qing, just worry about yourself."

"Don't say things you shouldn't, lest you become someone else's blade."

Yan Chang snorted, his tone filled with dissatisfaction. Right now, he looked down on anyone who dared to speak up for Jiang Changyuan.

"Teacher, I..."

"That’s enough, sit down."

A sharp rebuke cut Gu Qing off. At this moment, the displeasure on Yan Chang’s face was obvious to everyone. Gu Qing’s hand at his side clenched into a fist. Reason told him to sit down and act as if nothing had happened, but a voice inside him kept screaming that this was wrong.

After a brief, heavy silence, Gu Qing let out a long breath, his expression resolute when he looked up again.

"Teacher, I still believe you are in the wrong!"

It was like a ladle of cold water poured into a pot of boiling oil; the class erupted in an instant. Everyone gasped—was Gu Qing going to defy the homeroom teacher too?

Jiang Changyuan stopped his work on the practice problems. His lowered eyes held a hint of a smile. It seemed he had bet correctly. For the past two days, he had endured Yan Chang’s vitriol for this very moment. Explaining himself and clearing his name was easy; the hard part was dragging the protagonist into the fray to forge a bond through shared adversity.

"Gu Qing!!"

"As the student council president, are you going to openly defy a teacher?"

"I am not. I am simply correcting your mistake, teacher. You shouldn't look down on any student," Gu Qing replied, gritting his teeth.

Whether Jiang Changyuan cheated or not was one thing, but he had witnessed his hard work lately. Yan Chang’s relentless targeting of Jiang Changyuan, insulting his family background and belittling his academic progress, was simply wrong!

"What do you know? You're actually correcting me now? Is that how your parents taught you to respect your elders?"

"Oh, the teacher forgot—you have no father or mother, you’re an orphan, and no one cares about you at all!"

Having completely dropped his facade, Yan Chang spoke with cold, biting sarcasm. Every word was like a sharp blade piercing Gu Qing’s heart. He was an orphan, and that was the fragile pride he could least bear to have pricked.

Gu Qing’s fists were clenched tight, his whole body trembling. He never imagined that the first person to maliciously attack his background would be his own homeroom teacher!

The veins on the back of Jiang Changyuan’s hand, which was gripping his pen, bulged, and his eyes grew dark and deep. Yan Chang’s teaching career was finished.

"President Gu’s background is quite sad; nobody ever brings it up in front of him. How could the homeroom teacher say such a thing?"

"Shh, be careful, don't let the teacher hear you."

The students whispered among themselves, but no one stood up. Adolescence was an age of defiance, but they were still trapped under the thumb of their parents and teachers. They weren't Gu Qing, and they certainly weren't Jiang Changyuan; they lacked that kind of courage.

*Bang!*

"You don't expose people's shortcomings. You’re a teacher—how can you say that to a student? Are you even fit to be a teacher?"

Gu Qing looked up in surprise. It was the chubby boy who had slammed his desk and stood up, his face flushed red. Looking closely, one could see his chubby legs shaking, which showed he wasn't entirely fearless. But Gu Qing was speaking up for Young Master Jiang, and their student social group would definitely repay that favor.

"So what if he's an orphan? Even orphans know how to behave with decorum. You have parents, but you're worse than an orphan!"

"As a teacher, you have no moral integrity. It's a tragedy that your own children have a father like you!"

After the chubby boy took the lead, Ding Shizheng and the others stood up as well, looking as if they were ready to be expelled just to have their say. They had felt too stifled these past two days; they had been dying to do this for a long time!

Amidst the jeers, Yan Chang’s face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. One after another, they were all rebelling!

"What's the matter?"

Jiang Changyuan was the last to stand up, and the classroom went quiet instantly.

"Still want to insult us? Then please, as a Chinese teacher, try using some fresh vocabulary."

"Otherwise, I might start to think your Chinese was taught by a P.E. teacher, given how every class feels like listening to children's storybooks."

The calmest jokes were often the most biting. The mix of humiliation and anger in Gu Qing’s heart slowly subsided. He had acted purely out of distaste for the teacher's conduct, but Jiang Changyuan had defended his dignity. However, this meant the homeroom teacher wouldn't let him off easily.

Yan Chang was panting with rage. A provocation! This was an open provocation!

"Jiang Changyuan, your father peddles a tricycle and collects scrap to earn your tuition, just so you could come here and smear a teacher's reputation?"

"If you have more to say, keep going. Say plenty more. There’s a meeting in the next period..."

At this, Jiang Changyuan paused meaningfully.

"Do you want to guess if these words will make it to the assembly and be heard by the entire school?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Chang’s pupils constricted, though he quickly suppressed the panic in his heart. He had almost taken a student’s threat seriously. But just in case, he had to search Jiang Changyuan’s desk.

"Hmph, the school forbids cell phones. If you have one, you'll get a major demerit and be publicly criticized before the whole school."

As Yan Chang stepped off the podium, Jiang Changyuan suddenly swept his textbooks off the desk with a crash. Then, he grabbed his backpack and dumped its contents out. The sound of items clattering to the floor brought Yan Chang to a halt.

"The desk is empty. Is the next step to search my body?"

Everyone watched as Jiang Changyuan stripped off his school jacket and tossed it coldly to the ground, stunned by his actions. He was provoking him to the end! Was Jiang Changyuan really trying to get expelled?

"Do you want to guess if the phone is in my trouser pockets?"

Yan Chang checked the desk, and finding nothing, he glared at Jiang Changyuan’s pockets with a dark expression. It would be fine if there was no recording, but if there was, he absolutely could not let it reach the assembly! No, he had to make sure that recording disappeared!

He kept his eyes on Jiang Changyuan, naturally failing to notice Su Yingying in the back, who was clutching her own school bag with a nervous expression.

"You are welcome to search me, but if you have falsely accused me, there must be a consequence for what happened today!"

"Hmph, the school forbids cell phones. I am your homeroom teacher, and I suspect you have one. A search is mandatory."

Perhaps years of being a homeroom teacher had made Yan Chang arrogant; he didn't take Jiang Changyuan’s veiled threats to heart at all. But after searching Jiang Changyuan from top to bottom, he found no phone.

"Groundless suspicion, defamation, and a forced search—you are trampling on a student’s dignity. Even a teacher shouldn't be allowed to do that!"